Mulongoti challenges government to explain where $500m for Kariba Dam has gone

Mike Mulongoti has challenged government to tell the nation how the US$500 million it had set aside for enhancement of the power generation capacity at the Kariba Dam has been utilised. Mulongoti has further challenged the government to tell the nation whether the $500 million contract it signed with Sinohydro, the company contracted to carry out works at Kariba Dam existed or had been concealed.

He said it was not wise for the government to remain mute on the matter as Zambians would not let it die. “Zesco is being used and abused and in the mean time we have been faced with this challenge of power. And linked to that, we want the government to tell us where that US$500 million which was made available for Kariba dam has gone and Sino Hydro was contracted, we didn’t see an advert to contract them and they have been on sight from 2011,” he said. “There are no indications to show that there are any technical audits to find out whether there have been any changes over the issues. We want the government to answer what happened to that US$500 million that was made available to enhance capacity at Kariba dam.” Mulongoti questioned the government to further explain what role the Zambezi River Authority played in this matter.

He added that the government needed to tell the nation how Sino hydro was awarded the contract and the timeframe for the construction works. “And in the whole saga of this Kariba dam problem, we have not heard anybody talk about the role that either the contractors or Zambezi River Authority played in the whole issue. They seem to be protecting people. We want to know the whole truth about what happened because this matter cannot die just like that,” he said. “We want to know how Sinohydro was given that contract and under what conditions and for what period. And we want a report on how that money was utilised. Tell us if that contract still exists. If it elapsed, has it been renewed? All those details, we want to know.”